The owners of a charming home in the hills west of Paso Robles recently decided to remodel their not-so-charming kitchen. Referred to San Luis Kitchen by several of their friends, the homeowners visited our showroom and soon decided we were the best people to design a kitchen fitting the style of their home. We were delighted to get to work on the project right away. When we arrived at the house, we found a small, cramped and out-dated kitchen. The ceiling was low, the cabinets old fashioned and painted a stark dead white, and the best view in the house was neglected in a seldom-used breakfast nook (sequestered behind the kitchen peninsula). This kitchen was also handicapped by white tile counters with dark grout, odd-sized and cluttered cabinets, and small ‘desk’ tacked on to the side of the oven cabinet. Due to a marked lack of counter space & inadequate storage the homeowner had resorted to keeping her small appliances on a little cart parked in the corner and the garbage was just sitting by the wall in full view of everything! On the plus side, the kitchen opened into a nice dining room and had beautiful saltillo tile floors. Mrs. Homeowner loves to entertain and often hosts dinner parties for her friends. She enjoys visiting with her guests in the kitchen while putting the finishing touches on the evening’s meal. Sadly, her small kitchen really limited her interactions with her guests – she often felt left out of the mix at her own parties! This savvy homeowner dreamed big – a new kitchen that would accommodate multiple workstations, have space for guests to gather but not be in the way, and maybe a prettier transition from the kitchen to the dining (wine service area or hutch?) – while managing the remodel budget by reusing some of her major appliances and keeping (patching as needed) her existing floors. Responding to the homeowner’s stated wish list and the opportunities presented by the home's setting and existing architecture, the designers at San Luis Kitchen decided to expand the kitchen into the breakfast nook. This change allowed the work area to be reoriented to take advantage of the great view – we replaced the existing window and added another while moving the door to gain space. A second sink and set of refrigerator drawers (housing fresh fruits & veggies) were included for the convenience of this mainly vegetarian cook – her prep station. The clean-up area now boasts a farmhouse style single bowl sink – adding to the ‘cottage’ charm. We located a new gas cook-top between the two workstations for easy access from each. Also tucked in here is a pullout trash/recycle cabinet for convenience and additional drawers for storage. Running parallel to the work counter we added a long butcher-block island with easy-to-access open shelves for the avid cook and seating for friendly guests placed just right to take in the view. A counter-top garage is used to hide excess small appliances. Glass door cabinets and open shelves are now available to display the owners beautiful dishware. The microwave was placed inconspicuously on the end of the island facing the refrigerator – easy access for guests (and extraneous family members) to help themselves to drinks and snacks while staying out of the cook’s way. We also moved the pantry storage away from the dining room (putting it on the far wall and closer to the work triangle) and added a furniture-like hutch in its place allowing the more formal dining area to flow seamlessly into the up-beat work area of the kitchen. This space is now also home (opposite wall) to an under counter wine refrigerator, a liquor cabinet and pretty glass door wall cabinet for stemware storage – meeting Mr. Homeowner’s desire for a bar service area. And then the aesthetic: an old-world style country cottage theme. The homeowners wanted the kitchen to have a warm feel while still loving the look of white cabinetry. San Luis Kitchen melded country-casual knotty pine base cabinets with vintage hand-brushed creamy white wall cabinets to create the desired cottage look. We also added bead board and mullioned glass doors for charm, used an inset doorstyle on the cabinets for authenticity, and mixed stone and wood counters to create an eclectic nuance in the space. All in all, the happy homeowners now boast a charming county cottage kitchen with plenty of space for entertaining their guests while creating gourmet meals to feed them. Credits: Custom cabinetry by Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry Contracting by Michael Pezzato of Lost Coast Construction Stone counters by Pyramid M.T.M.

A Modern Farmhouse set in a prairie setting exudes charm and simplicity. Wrap around porches and copious windows make outdoor/indoor living seamless while the interior finishings are extremely high on detail. In floor heating under porcelain tile in the entire lower level, Fond du Lac stone mimicking an original foundation wall and rough hewn wood finishes contrast with the sleek finishes of carrera marble in the master and top of the line appliances and soapstone counters of the kitchen. This home is a study in contrasts, while still providing a completely harmonious aura.

A new wine bar in place of the old ugly one. Quartz countertops pair with a decorative tile backsplash. The green cabinets surround an under counter wine refrigerator. The knotty alder floating shelves house cocktail bottles and glasses. Photos by Brian Covington

Classic White Kitchen With Gray Accents. Spring White Granite and Stormy Sky Quartz. Wine Bottle Rack, Wicker Baskets, Multiple Levels, Spun Glass Pendants from West Elm, Island Seating, Island Table, Under counter Microwave,

under counter wine rack, slide in range, stainless steel range hood, under counter microwave,
Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen design with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, blue walls and an island

The homeowners wished to create one large open space from their closed off kitchen and dining room. We flipped their kitchen and dining room, eliminating the wall between, gave them a seated island with under counter radiant heating mat, a mudroom area with drop zone by their entry door and a window bench in their new dining area. The addition of windows in their new kitchen makes the space bright and cheery. Back venting the hood allowed for a glass cabinet above to showcase fun collectibles. Cabinets by Executive Cabinetry - Villa Door in Maple with Alabaster paint on the perimeter and Cottage Blue Wash with Pewter glaze on the island. Photos by Michael Patrick Lefebvre

Siri Blanchette/Blind Dog Photo Associates This clean lined kitchen features stainless countertops, white gloss laminate cabinets, shell and frosted glass mosaic back splash tile, and bleached oak floors. All the colors and textures evoke those of the beach.

Marsh Furniture Company Traditional Overlay Shaker Cabinets. Atlanta Door Style Alpine Paint Finish. Designed by Dashielle
Eat-in kitchen - transitional galley dark wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Baltimore with an undermount sink, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops and recessed-panel cabinets

Christopher Davison, AIA
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized traditional u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Austin with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, beige backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

A glorious marble counter wet bar with backsplash and a wine refrigerator make a perfect place for hosting guests. The cabinets are custom painted in stately Chelsea Gray (by Benjamin Moore). Natural light floods over the heart of pine wood flooring.

In the Busse Master bathroom, we tore down a wall to increase space. Originally doors separated the vanity from the commode and shower. We installed a closet with frosted glass doors and accent lighting inside. A sliding white barn door with wrought iron trim was installed at the entrance. The vanity is 72" with a double bowl, is custom-made and espresso-stained with 4-stacked drawers and granite counter top. The vanity has a backsplash with 2 rectangular under mount bowls. Two Delta 8" spread Ashlyn faucet in a brushed nickel finish are mounted on the countertop. Two wood-framed mirrors and full-length linen tower match the vanity with 2 sets of 3 vanity lights. The shower is 12' x12' with faux marble, in an offset pattern, floor to ceiling tile with 4" feature strip with extra-wide recessed niche. Delta shower faucet with the Intuition handheld/shower head combine in a brushed nickel finish. Heavy frameless hinged shower door with panels. The floor is 2" x 2" tile to match the bathroom floor which is a 13" x13" straight pattern, porcelain tile with matching tile baseboard. The white commode is a Mansfield pressure-assist. http://www.melissamannphotography.com/

Jack Korlann. Solid Apollo LED. In this beautiful under cabinet lighting installation, our customer wanted to bring subtle lighting to his recently renovated kitchen area. Here Warm White High Brightness LED Strip Light was carefully placed under each cabinet area. In each of the pictures, you can see how this subtle amount of light adds another element without overpowering the carefully chosen colors and tones from the rest of the elements in the kitchen. The 5-Zone wireless remote control dimmer was used and as several of the pictures show, the lights can be brought down to 10% of their brightness, for incredibly gentle mood lighting, and even works great as a night light. To connect the LED Strip Lights together, matching Snap&Lite Interconnectors and Power Adapters were used, and the power supply, receiver and other accessories were carefully tucked away in the cabinets.

Chef's kitchen with a 17' island carrara marble counter tops, and over sized subway tiles off-set by the dark wood floors create a clean pallet for this chef's kitchen. Photo by Susan Teare

Jack Korlann. Solid Apollo LED. In this beautiful under cabinet lighting installation, our customer wanted to bring subtle lighting to his recently renovated kitchen area. Here Warm White High Brightness LED Strip Light was carefully placed under each cabinet area. In each of the pictures, you can see how this subtle amount of light adds another element without overpowering the carefully chosen colors and tones from the rest of the elements in the kitchen. The 5-Zone wireless remote control dimmer was used and as several of the pictures show, the lights can be brought down to 10% of their brightness, for incredibly gentle mood lighting, and even works great as a night light. To connect the LED Strip Lights together, matching Snap&Lite Interconnectors and Power Adapters were used, and the power supply, receiver and other accessories were carefully tucked away in the cabinets.

Solid Apollo LED. In this kitchen, the owner wanted to add extra workable accent lighting under the cabinets for added light when preparing food and to highlight the unique tiles earlier choosen during a previous remodel. The owner choose LED Strip Light in Daylight White Color, to highlight the dark and light colors, and because daylight white is close to the color of actual sunlight, and will not skew the colors of the tiles or food being lit up. To control the lighting, the owner choose the Gecko LED Dimmer for its completely wireless design. This contemporary wall switch design requires no wires for installation, and comes ready to stick to a variety of flat surfaces.

When this young family of four and their aging dog, Bernie, moved into their new home, it was evident that changes needed to be made for the house to work for them. The kitchen was cramped and crowded and didn’t allow for the large family gatherings they enjoyed hosting. Without a mudroom between the garage and kitchen, there was no place to drop groceries, schoolbags, coats or boots. And an unused dining room sat empty, save for the furniture. We immediately set out to open up walls and make better use of the space. A mudroom was added, outfitted with cabinetry lockers for jackets and schoolbags with room for baskets for shoes under the bench. A glass pocket door was installed to let the light flow from the window on the front of the house into the adjacent kitchen. In the kitchen, we took advantage of the unused dining room and broke through the wall creating one large, open plan, kitchen and family room. An expansive island was installed to provide seating in the kitchen and give sight lines from the sink to the family room from which to keep an eye on the littles while they played. A desk area was also created in front of one of the windows, giving great light for homework and crafts. While the floor-to-ceiling windows in the dining room kept us to a galley kitchen layout, their dog, Bernie was thankful we maintained his views of the park-like setting in the backyard.

Photography by Stacy Bass. www.stacybassphotography.com
Mid-sized beach style single-wall medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in New York with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

Angled power strips are concealed below the upper cabinets provide ample power outlets. Under-cabinet lighting keeps workspaces well illuminated.
Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Houston with quartz countertops, white backsplash and subway tile backsplash

Transitional single-wall home bar photo in Houston with shaker cabinets, black cabinets, mirror backsplash and black countertops